“Pushing up against” isn’t inherently aggressive and it’s not limited to people. The luggage space was tight and I was worried because there were suitcases pushed up against my guitar. In your example, the aggression is conveyed by the spoken words and the fact that the contact was repeated.

It is indeed intentional and aggressive. Also, the "kept" means the action was repetitive and therefore irritating to the "victim".

In the context you provided, the phrasal verb "pushing up against" indeed means that the drunkard is physically pressing or shoving against the person mentioned. It implies a close and forceful physical contact, typically in a way that might be uncomfortable or invasive. While the passage doesn't explicitly mention the drunkard trying to harm the person, the use of the phrasal verb "pushing up against" suggests a level of aggression or intrusion. The action described implies a lack of personal space and may be considered inappropriate or confrontational. It doesn't necessarily indicate a specific intent to harm, but it does convey a sense of unwanted physical contact. So, in summary, the drunkard is physically pushing against the person, and the context suggests that this behavior is causing discomfort or frustration.

it's not "pushing up against", it's "pushing up" and "against him"... you create complications where there are none

Entering another's personal space is genetrally unwelcome, and the potential for low level more forceable contact (violence?) is hinted at by the dialogue, but as ever *context is everything* (and too often what takes ten minutes of maybe's to write here in these queries, takes 30 seconds of quality in a class when all the context is available during a face to face conversation with a real person. But my words often just push up against the barrier borne of the opposite of wisdom.